Abdellah Taia's autobiographical work, Salvation Army (2009) is considered the first gay-centered novel from a Moroccan writer. Most recently, Taia's film adaptation of Salvation Army (2013), the author turned director seemed to have produced the first Arab film featuring a gay male protagonist. A revolutionary work in the way that it explodes many cultural taboos as it defies literary genre, Salvation Army, takes us through Taia's joyful, painful, and provocative journey into selfhood.
In preparation for our discussion of Salvation Army, please watch this short video which provides some background information on Morocco and homosexuality. For this blog post, reflect on the information presented in the video and answer the following questions: What would it mean for you if your identity (sexual, gender, ethnic, etc.) is deemed illegal in the eyes of the law? In what ways would your life be changed and how would this affect your pursuit of selfhood?
Responses must be 2-3 paragraphs long and be posted on Tuesday, May 13th by 5:00 pm to receive credit.
Bonus: If you liked the music in this video, here's more from the Algerian artist Idir: http://oneplaylist.fm/playlists/idir
If the US deemed the female gender illegal, I would not be writing this response. My life would change drastically. To continue studying at UCLA, I would have to lie about my gender, and disguise my appearance. I would have to hide my gender in the outside world in general, and only expose my true identity in the comfort of my own home. My life might resemble Marjane Satrapi's in Tehran; I would cover female features with baggy clothing out of doors under threat of imprisonment and death. Like gay men in morocco who lead "heterosexual" lives, I would have to present with an opposite identity in the public sphere.
ReplyDeleteLike gay males in Morocco, we would continue existing because the oppressor would require the oppressed. Males would need females to reproduce, like the Moroccan government requires gay males for the revenue they accumulate in sexual tourism. Any rules against female-ness would be enforced spottily: only where there was not evident gain for the subordinated class. The government would enforce regulations against female-ness where females demonstrate pride in their identity, and attempt to claim human rights. The situations would parallel the situations of gay men in Morocco: sexual tourism is effectively legal, because it subjugates its participants, but gay marriage is not because it allows its participants equal rights.
I would be extremely disheartened if my identity was seen as illegal. Especially as a child, I would want to believe that rules are created with meaning and that they are the absolute truth. With this in mind, I think I would have grown up suppressing my identity and lacking the ability to express myself. To a lesser degree I think that many adolescents go through something similar in their middle school years when they feel their identity is rejected by their peers. If this phase is hard enough, I can't imagine how difficult it would be to not only have your friends disprove of your identity but have your whole society against aspects of yourself that you are not able to control.
ReplyDeleteMy life would be changed drastically. I believe that successful people are the one's that either had access to education, money, or the support to endure obstacles in life. The last one especially includes family, friends, governmental policies and more that build character and breed life-long goals. When this factor is taken out of your life, I don't think that you will be able to get too far in life in a constant state of being repressed. The pursuit of self-hood itself would be repressed. If we take a look at women throughout history, who have always been subject to inequalities, there are much fewer literary, scientific, and social contributions compared to those of men. This isn't because they aren't capable but just weren't able to acquire or develop the resources to do so until after they were given more equal opportunities. Therefore, selfhood would be developed within the constraints allowed and wouldn't be complete under repressed conditions.
There is nothing more disheartening than a government body deciding an identity to be illegal. If there was discrimination based on gender, there would be many opportunities that I would not have that people of the opposite gender would. I would not have received the opportunity to go to school and further my education, and aspire to go into a career where I could help people. Attempting to receive all the same opportunities would mean that I would have to conceal my real identity, just like the men in Morocco that are gay.
ReplyDeleteI believe that new chances to learn and experience things help one learn their true identity. Because my rights are not impeded on, I have many chances to learn and determine who I am as an individual. If my rights were limited I do not believe that I would be able to come to a full realization of my true identity. There would be constraints and thus may limit my development as a person because I would not receive many of the same opportunities to grow intellectually and thrive financially. Being dependent on others and being afraid to fully express my true self would leave me feeling unfulfilled and oppressed, which I am sure the gay Moroccans feel as well.
The silence of the video Gay in Morocco: a statement is the silence of oppression and fear. To have your identity deemed illegal is to be stifled. Every day would be a challenge for we must suppress our desires which define us. We must be wary of our very actions, made to fear repercussions if ever discovered, and ultimately be given an ultimatum. We can choose to be imprisoned for embracing our identity and resist, or we can choose to assimilate, forever hiding who we are, hoping time will bring change to ourselves.
ReplyDeleteGiven the privilege of living as a male in a country with many freedoms, I can seldom understand what it means to have your identity deemed illegal. I can however imagine that the world would appear to be one big example of hypocrisy. Regardless of what we identify as, we belong to a group meaning that others feel as I feel and share my desires and resentments. Although our identity is acknowledged amongst ourselves, it is not acknowledged by the law. Having to live in a society that does not accept me for who I am would leave only a void of frustration and resentment.
Many would argue that the stifling of one’s identity inhibits one’s pursuit of selfhood. I however believe that this would serve as a catalyst for one’s pursuit of selfhood. Our entire lives, we take for granted our identities and have expectations which are otherwise privileges for others. It isn’t until we start losing these privileges that we begin to value and understand their importance. One example is a child who is given a list of things that they can and cannot do. The child does not pay much attention to what he can do and never questions the privilege he is given. Instead, he questions and explores the list of things he cannot do and by asking these questions he can determine for himself whether it is just for him to be limited from performing such actions.
In a country where gay marriage laws are being passed, in the complete opposite direction of persecuting those of the queer community, here it is still difficult for some to tell people about their identity. In my own personal home I am reminded of this often since I have a lesbian sister. She wasn't able to come out to our family until I was about 17 and she was in college. As she is almost 30 now, I can't imagine struggling almost half my life with my identity. To be in a country where it would be illegal would be unthinkable. A person's gender or sexual identity is a large part of their self and to have to hide it everywhere but behind closed doors, and mostly at night would take away time spent finding selfhood.
ReplyDeleteWhen you make it illegal to be part of your identity, agency is taken away. I believe that there would always be a constant internal struggle between what I felt to be right, and the world around shouting I was a criminal. In fact, I remember many comments being made towards my sister in reference to punishment for sodomy from the bible during the time my sister came out. I saw the torment that those comments caused, and to think of the effect it would have if those laws were still in place would be unbearable. But in true form to my sister, once coming to terms with her whole self, she truly thrived. Since she just graduated this past weekend from the Ross Michigan School of Business my mother informed me that the school honored her with an award for starting a club at her MBA program for those within the queer community. It would be my hope that this novel ends with the protagonist finding his own agency.
Now, as someone who is multicultural with a Mexican/American mother/ and Jewish/Czech/Irish father, I struggle with my own identity. This is due to the fact that many times, my ethnic background is not obvious with my appearance. To add on additional factor of legal consequences for being multiethnic would probably make my search of self troublesome. At the age of 20, I am still in search of my own sense of agency, and I'm lucky to live in a county with no additional consequences for a part of myself.
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ReplyDeleteIf my identity were deemed illegal in the eyes of the law, it would mean that I wouldn’t be a person anymore. I would only consider myself as an object to the government, a pawn they can freely use and eliminate when they deem necessary. I would feel like a puppet of the government because taking away my identity is like taking away my existence. It will not allow me to be myself because it would feel like someone else is controlling me. Identity is how people define themselves and represent themselves. Without one, it would be hard to even go the day without questioning who I am and whether or not I’m human.
ReplyDeleteA lot would change without an identity. It seems like my life would be like Yocandra’s, a routine. I think that I would feel lost while trying to rediscover who I am. It seems like life would be very unhappy, as I wouldn’t be myself anymore. I think that the pursuit of selfhood would be difficult because I would know that I would never be able to achieve a true identity. There will always be a part of me that would be missing. I think I would also have a hard time describing to people who I am.
In today’s world, finding an identity is even more difficult. There are now a larger handful of people who are mixed raced. I learned from an Asian American class, for example, that even Asian Americans have a difficult time choosing between Asian culture and American culture. Two very diverse cultures, fusing together, can prove to be confusing and stressful. While one culture may deem an act correct, another may deem it as incorrect. Even then, describing what you are can be a difficult as well.
If I were a woman in a world where being female was illegal, I would be a criminal. My very existence would be breaking the law. I would have to live in disguise and behave as something other than myself if I were to live at all. If I ever were to experience the joys of simply being myself I would have to sneak around and watch my back every step of the way. I would constantly be afraid of being caught. My life would be a charade.
ReplyDeleteIf I were caught, I would be the villain in the story. The hardened criminal, the addict. Now that my identity was in the open and for everyone to criticize and ridicule, I don't have to hide it anymore. But I am stifled and tortured and scolded every day. At every corner there is someone to tell me that being me is wrong. I am treated as far less than human; I have no rights and can make no demands. I am lost and alone. I am small and unworthy.
If I were a woman in a world where being female was a crime, I would be the mute character in the sound film that is my life. You can hear the disdain and the mockery and the laughter. You can see them point fingers and argue about the validity of my existence. You can see their disgusted grimaces and their disapproving faces. But you can't hear my screams. You can't hear my pleas. You see my tears but my sobs are empty. My shackles may be invisible but I can't move. The only way out is to lie. To cheat on myself. To apologize for something I haven't done. To plead guilty for a crime I haven't committed. So what do I do? I keep on fighting. I will scream till I am heard; I will cry until the flood of tears breaks through the dam of your ignorance. I will fight for my identity. I will fight because I am not wrong. I am not a criminal. I will continue to live in the dark until I see the light. I will fight to be me because that is my truth.
If my identity was deemed illegal in the eyes of the law then I would feel like I was not worthy and would probably have to deal with feelings of self-hate and confusion. It would mean to me that something was wrong with me if the law did not support me. As someone who cannot even jaywalk as breaking the rules or law stresses me out, my anxiety would be out of control if my identity was deemed illegal. I would definitely have a hard time being able to feel like myself if any part of my identity was deemed illegal.
ReplyDeleteMy life would be very different if my identity was illegal. I would not experience the same freedoms and rights that I do now which would make me much more reclusive. This would affect my pursuit of selfhood by making it much more of a private thing. I would have to find a way to be okay with my identity being more internal, something that I could recognize about myself without having to share it with the world. I would struggle much more with my pursuit of falsehood if my identity was illegal, yet I think that my self-hood being so personal would make it more of a part of me and more important to me than when I have the luxury of the freedom that I do now.
Identity is almost everything for most people, especially in a society like ours where everyone wants to show off their individuality. I personally feel that no matter what race, gender, sexuality, etc. you are, you should always be accepted. As a religious Orthodox Jew, I am taught through my religion that homosexuality is one of the worst things you could do. With that said, I feel that individuality is what makes a person who they are. So, even though my religion is very important to me and helped me create my identity, I don't care if others are homosexual or not; if they are sweet, down- to- earth people who are willing to create a friendship with me, their sexuality drops down to the bottom of the bucket.
ReplyDeleteIf my identity was deemed illegal by the law, I wouldn't be able to do a lot of things: go to school, practice my religion, comment on this blog post, read the texts we're reading, and so on. I would feel if I had no worth, not being able to live my life fully and living daily in fear of being arrested just for who I am. There is nothing possibly worse than your identity being illegal and because my identity is so important to me, I would live my life as I feel it should be, even if I could be arrested or fined.
It’s truly difficult to imagine living in a society in which I couldn’t express my identity freely. As a multiracial female attending a sought after public university, I am aware of the privilege I have being able to attend college when both of my parents did not. If suddenly faced oppression based on my gender or ethnic background, I essentially would not be able to fulfill the goals I have set for myself because it would not be acceptable to for me to attend college and more specifically it would be illegal for me to be a part of my sorority, wear the clothes I wear, or just simply express my individual freedom.
ReplyDeleteIn some way, I feel this question parallels the struggles that Satrapi encountered in Persepolis. She continuously had to cover her body up and her personal beliefs were shot down every time she spoke out in class. She was luckily able to leave this type of society in order to embrace her true individuality but not all people are able to do that. In the case of homosexuality as discussed in Salvation Army, there are societies in which people are radically against it or very accepting. These dynamics make it very hard for people to fully embrace their individuality and some people never outwardly do because they are afraid of how people will react to them. Overall, I believe that is very important for people to be accepting of all individuals’ identities whether you agree with their lifestyle or not.
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ReplyDeleteWomen of color often have the dual difficulty of facing both sexism and racism. If my identity is seen as illegal in the eyes of the law, it would mark me as an outsider. If it’s actually written into the rule books, it would translate over into every aspect of my life; it would act on an institutional and cultural level. I would be seen as less legitimate and less deserving of basic human rights, whatever those may be. It could have very real consequences and history provides a great number of examples. Historically, women have lacked the right to vote, the right to divorce, and right to own your own property. Furthermore, female infanticide and child marriages are still a problem in the world. In some cases, a woman can only prove that she was raped if there were male witnesses. The law would deem practices like these perfectly acceptable.
ReplyDeleteOften our identity is shaped by the way that others perceive us and if my identity was viewed as illegal, it would make it easier for people to degrade and demean me. I would be marginalized and my voice would be taken out of the equation. It could lead me to question my own self-worth or this kind of mistreatment could act as a catalyst. Just as Taia did, it could lead me to question the way that society has been arranged and help me find my self-identity. Yet, this could lead to being considered an outcaste by society in general and by those closest to me.
Law and order are necessary aspects of every organized community in order to maintain a sense of stability and justice. However, when these laws condemn your very identity, there is no justice and order. Possessing an identity is not the same as an active experience. We not born into an identity and forced to live by the standards set by our community and culture. It is not an active choice. We do not choose to be born into an ethnicity, a gender, or a sexual orientation. Therefore, the actions of many countries in the world such as Morocco and the United States to dictate what is legal or illegal about identity is absurd and insulting. In all sense of the word, these legal actions are acts of hate propagated by stereotypes and personal ideas of righteousness.
ReplyDeleteIf my identity were deemed illegal, in particular my ethnic identity, I honestly don’t know what I would do, or how I would continuing being the essence of who I am. Being Chinese is not just a reflection of where I was born, or who my family is. On a personal level, my ethnicity is a reflection of a past, present, and future. I became who I am not just from my own actions, but the actions and experiences of my ancestors. If that identity is taken away from me by saying that being Chinese is illegal, I am stripped of not only who I am now, but who I will become. Although not illegal, race and ethnicity are already heavily discriminated against and stereotyped all over the world. If taken to the next level of being illegal, ethnic identities and ways of life would be viewed as uncivilized and wrong. Taking something fundamental to existence out of a person instead leaves someone who is simply existing, not living.
Zhiqiao Dong